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Arielle
Arielle Caelius (currently traveling under the name Leeanawn Sonkton) (CG, 36yo female Aasimar Cloistered Cleric 6/Sovereign Speaker 9) Full name and title: Her All Holiness the Ecumenical Mother Saint Arielle, Speaker of the Sovereign Host, Grace of Cyre, High Priestess of Metrol, Noble of the Court of Orderly Contemplation Appearance: Tall, 5'9”, slight build, brilliant blond hair like spun gold slightly past shoulders, pale skin, dark sapphire eyes, usually seen with a stoic facial expression bearing a stern countenance suggesting great wisdom and conviction. Short summary of birth to present: Born 858 YK in Eston, Cyre to middle-class parents Aileen (retired to Cyrean countryside) and Cornelius (dead). She has a younger brother(Gaubert)and sister (Zenaida), both of whom are still running the family business in Eston. A formative event in her early life was the death of her twin brother Alexandre who was attacked and possessed as a child by a dream master quori. The high priest of Eston was summoned to perform an exorcism but, unfortunately, was unsuccessful in his attempt to excise the evil presence and at the end the spirit escaped and Alexandre laid slain. As a reminder of loss and unfulfilled vengeance Arielle used a piece of of the fabric used in her brother's burial shroud and make a long headscarf – an article of clothing she wears to the present day. Most of her remaining early childhood passed as normally as it could. Arielle proved to be a talented polymath, excelling in all of her academic studies as well amassing a small fortune playing high-stakes games of Baduk – a popular and complex board game in Cyre. In addition to her studies she also served an apprenticeship with her father learning the family trade of calligraphy and scribing - a family tradition which could be traced back generations to the early days of Galifar. At the age of 12 Arielle began to receive divine visions - a call to ministry - as well as doomsday images of a great Shadow stretching across the lands of Eberron; buildings decaying and collapsing, people crying out for help - entire cities being swallowed by the darkness. Arielle began her training for priesthood at the House of Nine in Eston under the tutelage of Abbot Symeon Hyder. At the age of 16 she received a truly miraculous gift and began to channel the divine energies which form the foundation of creation. Such a gift is truly rare and to better cultivate her blessing Arielle was sent to Metrol, the capital of Cyre, to train with High Priest Guillaume Orianne at Saint Angelisa's Vigil - the largest temple to the Sovereign Host in all of Cyre. Under the watchful gaze of the High Priest, Arielle grew in her ability to channel the divine as well as in her knowledge of the esoteric as she plumbed the depths of the divine, arcane and occult. It was during her time that she learned the name of the quori responsible for death of her brother, Azimaz - the First to Suffer and since has kept eyes open and her ear to the ground looking for an opportunity to confront the fiend and avenge her brother though, as of yet, she's been unsuccessful. Though what Arielle doesn't know is that Azimaz was working at the behest of a kalaraq quori named Prince of Thralls and that Arielle herself was the intended target. Arielle eventually rose to the rank of High Priestess of Metrol, replacing her former mentor following his retirement. Her list of accomplishments since would be too long to list but a few include taking her stake in the family business as well as the money she had made playing Baduk and building hospitals across Cyre, stopping a minor plague in Tronish, and ending a long drought with prayer. Her skills extend also to diplomacy. At the age of 20 she mediated a boarder dispute between a community of Cyreans and nomadic halflings near the Talenta Plains to mutual approval and a few years later negotiated the release of a Cyrean shipping convoy which had been illegally boarded and seized near the Lhazaar Principalities. At the age of 28, owing to Arielle's reputation for wisdom and her success in statecraft, she was made an advisor to regent Mishaan. It was through this post that she met and, unfortunately, fell in love with Thalin, the Governor-prince of Thrane. To be more specific, it was Thalin's great faith and conviction which attracted Arielle to him. They fell in love and maintained a secret relationship for several years until high-ranking officials in the Church of the Silver Flame began to suspect the reality of the situation and restricted her access to Thalin. She soon found herself unofficially banned from the nation of Thrane though she had been left with a lasting memory of Thalin – an unborn child. Arielle kept her pregnancy secret from Thalin fearing that the Church of the Silver Flame may try to seize the child to indoctrinate it in their faith. A son was born (Lucius, now 4 years old) who lives at Ecclesia Pistis Sophia – a monastery outside Metrol devoted to Sovereign Host mysticism. The duties of faith and country prevents Arielle from visiting her son as often as she would like though she does visit as often as responsibility allows. Lately, Arielle has felt the ill omens of her childhood visions drawing nearer and suspects that they are related to Sovereign Host liturgical prophecies concerning the reuniting of Aureon and The Shadow – that the event would result in the end of Eberron or, perhaps, just in the end of an Age. Arielle thinks, perhaps, that she can unravel this mystery by asking the only known example of the Divine in Flesh on Eberron – the Traveler – and thinks, perhaps, that she can find him by learning his true name and has embarked on a pilgrimage of knowledge for Aureon to do so. As has often been the case curiosity and the need to know was too great and divination magic lead her to a small village in Karrnath. For the time being she has left her flock and family in order to, she thinks, save it. Personality, beliefs and misc trivia: Hates the quori and, by extension, the Inspired with a fiery passion. Is sympathetic to the Kalashtar and will go out of her way to help them. Doesn't hate undead but views their destruction as a necessary duty. "My motive is not vengeance but mercy. I deliver the soulless back to their served souls." Is a royalist in politics. Favors the maintenance of Galifar, it's rules and traditions and the rightful succession of Mishann. Thinks the maintenance of Galifar is the only way to protect Khorvaire from the forces aligned against it. Also feels that Galifar will collapse regardless of efforts to prop it up. Leads to a bit of a melancholic, fatalistic outlook. Is a conservative in religion. Views the schism between the Nine and Six as necessary. Views the fundamental conflict in creation as not being good vs. evil but rather order vs chaos, civilization vs. primordial forces. The Six are necessary (indeed they are inseparable as follows the customary epithet “Nine and Six in One”. The Sovereign Host is One and the Nine without the Six is no more possible than having a front without a back) , even their nominal worship is necessary but to bring the Six back into the Church would be to bring them too close to the hearts of the People, primal passions would overpower rationality and civilization would destroy itself. Thinks the story of the integration of Aureon and the Shadow may be a more general warning against bringing the Six back into the Nine, against the folly of trying to integrate Order and Chaos. Deplores violence between rational people. Believes that a diplomatic outcome is almost always preferable and that physical conflict impairs ability to defend against true threats. Violence divides, peace unites. Her desire for order and good is tempered by her belief that those who justify themselves by words do not convince. Prefers to lead by example. The urge to prove or make herself right has always triggered her sense of the ludicrous. In a pinch she'd prefer someone human-hearted over someone merely righteous. Loves sunflowers and anything that reminds her of her Cyrean homeland (gifts of these sorts are an easy way to win her favor). Is known as the White Lady in the Court of Orderly Contemplation. As a child earned the nickname “The Smiling Cat” for her mischievous and deceptive tactics in games of Baduk. Court of Orderly Contemplation Interfaith organization composed mostly of priests of the Sovereign Host and Silver Flame, although representatives of the Path of Light, Undying Court, Keepers of the Past are present in small quantities. Together they are devoted to promoting just and virtuous rule in all lands. Their motto is “Unity through wisdom in faith”. Symbol is golden scales balancing a loaf of bread and a red flame, symbolic of the struggle in balancing the chaos of personal freedom and order of civilized law. The philosophical foundation of the organization is formed by Meditations, a treatise on self-improvement, guidance and governance, written by Nicodemus – a man long dead and about whom little is known. There are, broadly speaking, three categories of members: Commoners: Initiates and those who have no mastered Nicodemus' Meditations Nobles: Those who have mastered the meditations King/Queen: Leader determined by oratory and debate.